Are tests and exams an accurate indicator of how smart someone is?

Are tests and exams an accurate indicator of how smart someone is and does it indicate their value to society?

I know of lots of people who’ve bungled tests and exams and failed school and still gone on to do amazing things in life.

I hear of young apprentices who can tell you what’s wrong with a car and know how to fix it, by simply listening to the engine, but fail at the exam part of their apprenticeship.

I hear stories of kids who can build amazing devices and inventions, but when asked to explain how they came up with the idea, they shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Dunno, I just did it’.

I’ve met kids who constantly get into trouble for being unable to sit still, but when they’re allowed to move and stretch their body they perform just as well as the other kids in their class.

Are they all failures?

No.

They just think and experience the world differently.

And the world needs them more than ever.

A better future

We need people who can think differently, think sideways and think wildly leftfield in order to come up with fresh ideas and solutions for current and future problems.

We already have the kids who are going to do it, we just need to recognise them and help them achieve it.

So instead of trying to fit every kid into the same box, we need to be pulling the box apart so we can embrace all types of thinking and learning.

If we don’t, we’re missing an opportunity to create a better society, one that’s more inclusive, kinder, fairer, more creative and more sustainable for the generations to come.

Call me a dreamer, but that’s the kind of world I want to live in.

It’s my mission to start creating that world, by encouraging and supporting these kids now and equipping them with the confidence, sense of self worth and social and emotional skills to take their place in the world.

All these kids are all important to the world and have something amazing to offer.

Let’s get started.